- CBSE has divided Class 10 Science paper into three sections: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
- Social Science paper is divided into four sections: History, Geography, Political Science, and Economics
- Students must write answers within designated sections; mixed answers will not be evaluated
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released a notification mentioning crucial changes that have been introduced in Class 10 question paper for board exams 2026. The changes have been inducted to improve the quality of evaluation for the 2026 board exams.
As per the official notice, the board has divided the Science and Social Science question paper of Class 10 into different sections:
Changes made to the Science paper:
Question paper has been divided into three sections i.e. Section A, Section-B and Section-C. Section-A is Biology, Section-B is Chemistry and Section C is Physics.
Changes made to the Social Science:
For Social Science subject, the question paper has been divided into four sections i.e. Section-A, Section-B, Section-C and Section-D. Section- A is History, Section-B is Geography, Section-C is Political Science and Section-D is Economics.
Important instructions for students appearing in Class 10 board exams:
- Students will divide the answer book in three sections in Science and in four sections in Social Science for writing answers.
- Replies of questions are to be written only within the space identified for the concerned section only.
- Reply of a section should not be written or mixed in any other section. In case, replies are mixed, these will not be evaluated and no marks will be awarded.
- Such mistakes will not be accepted and addressed even during verification or revaluation process after the results are declared.
- To make students familiar about the paper pattern, the board has published the sample question papers of both Science and Social Science on the official website of the CBSE.
Revised structure of paper
CBSE has earlier also revised the structure of Class 10 and 12 papers. From 2026, 50 per cent of the questions will be competency-based, MCQs, case-based questions, source-based integrated questions, data interpretation, or situational problems. Twenty per cent of the paper will consist of select-response (MCQ) questions, while the remaining 30 per cent will be constructed-response questions, including short and long answers.
This means half of every question paper will assess students' conceptual clarity and their ability to apply what they have learnt, rather than simply recall information.
Two board exams
In line with NEP 2020 recommendations, two board examinations will be conducted for Class 10 students starting 2026, giving them more flexibility in demonstrating learning outcomes.
The CBSE Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations will begin on February 17. Class 10 Mathematics Standard and Mathematics Basic papers are scheduled for the first day. For Class 12, the first exams will be Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship and Shorthand (Hindi and English). Class 10 exams will end on March 10, while Class 12 exams will conclude on April 9.